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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. march — the month
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. mine — for digging
  6. stock — shares
  7. craft — boats
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. march — music
  10. net — after costs
  11. net — in sport
  12. craft — a skill
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. march — the month
  15. net — for catching
  16. stock — goods
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. toast — bread
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. toast — the most admired

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com